Soot and Stars
I AM SOOT!
Live
In the grunge/alternative era of the 90's there were accusations of one copycat band after another. There were very few bands that didn't get accused of ripping off another's sound. One band that I thought stood out while being successful in that era was Live. Though their debut Mental Jewelry was released in '91 alongside Nirvana's Nevermind they truly broke out in '94 with Throwing Copper. With those two albums behind them at this point, Live had a sound that was way more spiritual and enigmatic than any band out at the time.
While bands like Bush were making lyrical gibberish, Live was writing music that portrayed something deeper. While mostly dark and dreary, the c.d. also managed to have some very enlightening moments underneath it all. Ed Kowalczyks vocals were like rock sermons and were more apt to come out in a whisper or a wail than the typical mumble of the time.
As Live's catalog of albums grew, so did the light at the end of the tunnel in their music, as if the more they grew the more they figured out how to channel their spiritual energy. They became prophets of their own spiritual message rather than students. They went from the mourning of loss in Lightning Crashes into celebration of life as evidenced by Heaven in which Ed's child makes him believe their is a Heaven. This is a band that still puts out music today and really should have a better spot in the consciousness of music listeners than they have.
Standout Tracks:
Throwing Copper
Lightning Crashes
(when a single so subdued and dark becomes a hit and reaches such a wide audience you know it's one of those rare classics)
Pillar of Davidson
(my favorite track off of Throwing Copper, very slow building but transcendent piece)
The Distance to Here
(my favorite album from them)
The Dolphins Cry
(gets me pumped)
Run To The Water
(my favorite Live song)
V
(most experimental album)
Overcome
(so sad, moving and beautiful)
Any other fans here?
In the grunge/alternative era of the 90's there were accusations of one copycat band after another. There were very few bands that didn't get accused of ripping off another's sound. One band that I thought stood out while being successful in that era was Live. Though their debut Mental Jewelry was released in '91 alongside Nirvana's Nevermind they truly broke out in '94 with Throwing Copper. With those two albums behind them at this point, Live had a sound that was way more spiritual and enigmatic than any band out at the time.
While bands like Bush were making lyrical gibberish, Live was writing music that portrayed something deeper. While mostly dark and dreary, the c.d. also managed to have some very enlightening moments underneath it all. Ed Kowalczyks vocals were like rock sermons and were more apt to come out in a whisper or a wail than the typical mumble of the time.
As Live's catalog of albums grew, so did the light at the end of the tunnel in their music, as if the more they grew the more they figured out how to channel their spiritual energy. They became prophets of their own spiritual message rather than students. They went from the mourning of loss in Lightning Crashes into celebration of life as evidenced by Heaven in which Ed's child makes him believe their is a Heaven. This is a band that still puts out music today and really should have a better spot in the consciousness of music listeners than they have.
Standout Tracks:
Throwing Copper
Lightning Crashes
(when a single so subdued and dark becomes a hit and reaches such a wide audience you know it's one of those rare classics)
Pillar of Davidson
(my favorite track off of Throwing Copper, very slow building but transcendent piece)
The Distance to Here
(my favorite album from them)
The Dolphins Cry
(gets me pumped)
Run To The Water
(my favorite Live song)
V
(most experimental album)
Overcome
(so sad, moving and beautiful)
Any other fans here?
MetalPriest, Great minds think alike! LG, keep listening! 
Now, Mental Jewelry and Secret Samahdi are albums I never latched onto but this Secret Samahdi song is another favorite of mine!
